Film-movement mechanism of picture-machines



W, E. IVIINUE.

MOVEMENT MECHANISM OF PICTURE MACHINES.

FILM

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6,1919.

Patented June 28, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I I I N W. E. MINUE.

FILM MOVEMENT MECHANISM OF PICTURE MACHiNES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.6,19I9.

13835006, PatentedJune 28,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHE'ET 2.

' UNITED STATES WILLIAM EDGAR MINUE, OF FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA.

FILM-MOVEMENT MECHANISM OF PICTURE-MACHINES.

Application filed March 6, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM EDGAR Minnie, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Fredericton, in the Province of New Brunswick, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FilmMove ment Mechanism of Picture-ldachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in film movement mechanism of picture machines, and the objects of the invention are to eliminate flicker on the screen, to obtain the desired movement of film feed without the liability of destroying the film by tearing the sprocket holes in the sides thereof, to provide means whereby the film feed mechanism will be accelerated and retarded at predetermined intervals, so that the film engaging sprockets will coact with the sprocket holes in the manner best calculated to give beneficial results, and without tearing out or destroying any of the said sprocket holes, and generally to adapt the feeding mechanism to better perform the functions required of it.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists essentially of the improved construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional side elevation of a biograph machine embodying my invention, the view being taken on the line A-Aof Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the line F-F of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the control mechanism housing, taken on the line B-B of Fig. 2 and showing the star wheel becoming disengaged from the coacting pin.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the control mechanism housing taken on the line B.--B of Fig. 2 and showing the star wheel after it has been rotated through 45 by the coacting pin.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the end of theucontrol mechanism housing showing the intermittent sprocket, idlers and film in place, the View being taken on the line C-C of Fig. 2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1921.

Serial No. 280,893.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the control mechanism housing, taken on the line B-B of Fig. 2 showing the star wheel about to be engaged by the coacting pin.

F 1g; '7 is an enlarged view of the cam and star mechanism as seen when inverted.

Fig. 8 is an end view of the main driving dlsk with the accelerator swivel pivoted on the same.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the accelerator swivel.

FigilO is an end View of the cam disk showing the location of the working pins thereon.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are end views of diiierent positions of the swivel during a onequarter turn of the star wheel.

Fig. 14 is an end view of the swivel at the points of retardment.

Like characters of reference refer to like 1 parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a b ograph machine comprising a frame con sisting of the walls 1, 2 and 3 operatively connected to the wall 10, the walls 1 and :2 being provided with hubs 9 and 6.

Pivotally supported from the hubs 9 and 6 1s a housing 5 provided with an arm 4 pivotally engaging the. hub (3, the housing being connected to a bearing arm 7 which pivot ally engages with the hub 9, the bearing arm 7 being secured to the housing by set screws 8.

The housing 5 is provided with a lug 13 which is connected to the rod 11 by a pin 12, the opposite end of the rod being pivotally connected to the arm 14 of the lever 15 .by a sliding bolt 17 which passes through the eyelet 18 formed on the end of the same arm.

The lever 15 is pivotally supported at 16 by the bolt 17 which engages with the memher 2 of the frame, and concentrically arranged with the pivotal point of the lever 15 is an arcuate slot 19 formed in the member 2 of the frame, with which slot the pin 17 engages.

As the lever 15 is actuated the pin 17 rises and falls in the arcuate slot 19, and the motion is transmitted by the rod 11 to the housing 5, which will swing about the hubs 6 and 9.

A spring washer 20 is fixed on the pin 17 and engages the member 2 of the frame, and

this washer is designed to hold the housing 5 in adjusted position, and by oscillating the lever 15 the picture will be framed on the screen.

The housing 5 is provided with a cover 32 secured in position by screws 33 and formed with an arm 32 having an offset end portion, which together with the cover carries an eccentrically arranged bush 31 in which the shaft is journaled, and provision is made to adjust this shaft if necessary.

The cover 32 and offset end of the arm 32 also carry a shaft 35 journaled in bushes 36 and 37 and arranged in parallel relation to the shaft 30, and the shaft 35 carries the intermittent sprocket 38.

On that side of the housing 5 remote from the cover 32, a shaft 25 is journaled and passes through the arm 7 and carries on the overhanging end a balance wheel 26.

The shafts 25 and 30 are not arranged in alinement but are somewhat eccentric to each other and their longitudinal axis are relatively parallel, and these shafts are operatively connected through a control mechanism to be explained hereafter.

The control mechanism comprises a main driving disk 27 rigidly secured to the shaft 25, and this disk carries a single pin 53 on which is pivoted the accelerator swivel 28. The shaft 30 carries 011 the inner end a cam 29 having afianged disk 29 on which are mounted the star pin 51 and two other pins 55 and 57 which are arranged in the same plane as the center of the shaft 30.

v The pins 55 and 57 are journaled in square bushings 55 and 57 slidably mounted inthe slots 54 and 56in the swivel 28, the slot 54 having it longitudinal axis in alinement with the pivot orifice 53 of the swivel and the slot 56 having its longitudinal axis angularly disposed to the longitudinal axis of the slot 54, the said longitudinal axes converging toward that end of the swivel remote from the pivoted end, and the star wheel 34 is formed with slots 52 which coact with the star pin 51 and is rigidly secured to the inner end of the shaft 35, so

that the shafts 25 and 35 are thus operatively connected through the control mechanism.

The shaft 25 is provided intermediate of its length with a gear 24 adapted to 'mesh with the gear 23 mounted on'the shaft 22 journaled in bushes arranged in the hubs 9 and 6 respectively, so that during swinging of the housing 5 the gear 24 is free to rise and fall but will remain in mesh with the gear 23, and the portion 2 of the frame is cut away to admit the housing 5 to rise and fall.

The portion 2 of the frame is formed with a hub 2 which carries the main driving shaft '19 and this shaftpasses through the portion 2 and is journaled in the portion 1 '51 into the star slot of the frame, the shaft being provided with a driving gear 20 which meshes with the gear 21 carried by the shaft 22.

On the shaft 22 a small beveled gear 46 is mounted adapted to mesh with a beveled gear 47 on a shaft which is designed to drive the cut-off shutter and the fire shutter (not shown).

The gear 21 is also designed to mesh with the gear 51 for the purpose of driving the feed sprocket (not shown), the several parts above recited as not being shown do not form part of the invention except in so far that they are units of the complete machine, and for this reason it has not been deemed necessary to illustratethe same.

Adjacent to the intermittent sprocket 38 an arm 40 i located carrying idler wheels 39, and this arm is provided with a hub 42 which pivots on the pin 41 secured to the cover of the housing 5, and the hub 42 is flattened and coacts with a spring 43 secured to the cover 32 by bolts 44 threaded into the abutment 45, and the idlers hold the film 58 in proper position, and rise and fall with the intermittent sprocket 38 when the housing 5 is oscillated with the hubs 6 and 9 by means of the rod 11 and lever 15.

@n the rotation of the main driving shaft 19, the gear 20 rotates the gear 21 on the shaft 22, carrying the gear 23 which rotates the gear 24 on the shaft 25 carrying the driving disk 27.

0n the rotation of this driving disk, and the pin 53 carried thereby, the swivel 28 is brought into operation and the square bushings 55 and 57 in which the pins 55 and 57 carried by the disk 29 are ournaled, move backwardly and forwardly in the slots 54 of my invention 1 will now detail the. movement of the controlling mechanism whereby the intermittent sprocket 38 is accelerated and. retarded at predetermined times to engage with the sprocket holes in the edge of the film and obtain the desired velocity or movement of the film without any deteriora tion such tearing of the sprocket holes.

By reference to Fig. 1.1 it will be seen that the swivel 28 is in position to force the pin of the'star wheel 34 and the pins and are-almostin direct alinement with the star slot under load in highest point, the pin 51 is at the bottom of the star slot 52, and the pin 57 has gone but a little deeper into the slot 56, while the pin 55 has moved a little farther toward the pin 53.

Referring now to Fig. 13 it is apparent that the pin 57 has started to move out in the slot 56, and the 1 pin 55 has gone yet nearer to the pin 53, and the pin 51 is now being released from the star slot 52.

In Fig. i l a very marked change has taken place in regard to the pins 55 and 57 relatively to the slots at and 56 from that shown in Fig. 13, the said pins being moved to the other end of these slots and in so doing have accelerated the action on the cam 29 after the pin 51 leaves the star slot and up to the point shown in Fig. ll.

From this point a very slight change takes place between the several slots and the coacting bushings of the pins 55 and 57 until they reach the position shown in Fig. 7, and from this position until the pin 51 enters the star slot 52, the slots 54- and 56 perform the function of retarding the movement of the cam 29.

The relative position of the slots 54: and 56 to the pin 53 and the angular inclination of the slots to each other can be determined to give the best results and the acceleration and retardation of the cam 29 is brought about by the variation of angular velovity of the cam due to the variation of positions of the bushings of the pins 55 and 57 sliding back and forwardly in their coacting slots.

From the above description it will be clear that the sprocket 88 will be rotated and the motion retarded and accelerated at predetermined intervals of time, so that the sprocket will coact with the slots in the film 58 without deterioration by tearing out or destroy ing the slots, and the speed of the film can be altered, whereby all flicker is eliminated.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention, within the scope of the claims, constructed without departing from'the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

IVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a moving picture machine, a pair of shafts, a disk on one shaft, a cam on the other shaft, a swivel intermediate of the cam and disk having angularly disposed slots, pins on the cam coacting with the slots, and a sprocket shaft designed to be driven from the cam, the swivel being designed to transmit accelerated and retarding motion at predetermined times to the cam shaft.

2. In a moving picture machine, a pair of shafts, a disk on one shaft, a cam on the other shaft, a cam flange on the cam, pins carried by the cam, a heart shaped swivel pivotally mounted on the disk havin a pair of angularly disposed slots, pins on the cam coacting with the slots, a star wheel, a pin on the cam coacting with the star wheel, and a sprocket shaft carrying the star wheel, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a moving picture machine, a sprocket designed to engage a film, cam means for actuating the sprocket, and a heart-shaped swivel controlling the operation of the cam, whereby the sprocket is retarded and accelerated at predetermined intervals.

4. In a moving picture machine,sprocket means for engaging a film, cam means for actuating the sprocket means, pins on the cam thereof, a slotted swivel slidably coact ing with the pins and means for actuating the swivel.

5. In a moving picture machine, sprocket means for engaging a film, a star wheel, cam means for actuating the star wheel, pins on the cam, a disk, a swivel pivotally mounted to the disk and provided with a slot and a second slot angularly disposed to the first slot, the said slots being designed to slidably engage with the pins on the cam, and means for rotating the disk.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM EDGAR MINUE.

Witnesses:

B. M. MULLIN, M. Coornn. 

